We interviewed Skye Patterson for International Womens Day

March 08, 2018

Happy International Women's Day!

Today I sat down with my amazing boss, Skye Patterson to discuss womanhood in our workplace and in her personal life.

For those of you that don’t know, Skye is one of our four Directors here at Australian Primary Hemp. Originally from the Western District of Victoria Skye had been living abroad and in Sydney for 7 years before settling back in her home state of Victoria in 2016. Since then, Skye, alongside the whole team, has been focused on building APH to what it is today.

A few fun facts you probably didn’t know about her is that she has the coolest photographic memory when it comes to numbers. She also considers herself to be a lot like Nigel Thornberry, as she has a strong connection with animals. Funnily enough, she also cannot keep a cactus alive but seems to be okay with growing hemp.

Skye has many hobbies, some of which include eating chocolate, playing polo, boating and squid jigging.

So now everyone is weirdly more acquainted, let’s get into the questions.

Skye, who has been the biggest influence on your success?

“I think I still have a long road to success!? Haha, no but in all seriousness, I believe any success to be a team effort. I don’t believe success can solely come from one individual, so I feel incredibly lucky to work alongside an awesome team who support me every day.”

“When it comes to the biggest influence, I couldn’t possibly put it down to one person. I am incredibly lucky to be and have been, surrounded by so many influential people during my lifetime (Papa!) that have shaped the person I am today. Specifically, in the last couple of years, my three business partners have probably given me the most encouragement and support to achieve the success we’ve all had in APH so far.”

What has been the biggest issue women have overcome?

“That's a tough one! Umm, I think the stigma of being a woman in business has been broken down and come so far in the past 10 years, I think every one of us should be proud of what we have achieved, men included. It takes everyone to come together and work collaboratively to get past the issues we deal with on a daily basis.”

Do you think there's equality between men and women in your workplace?

“Definitely in our workplace, we’re 50/50! (all the girls have their forklift licences!) Treating everybody as an equal has always been a key value of ours and gender has never come into play. Everyone at Australian Primary Hemp treats each other with respect and works collaboratively to get the job done while having fun at the same time!”

Do you think it's important that we continue to celebrate International Women's Day?

“I believe International Women’s Day is an opportunity and reminder for us to encourage each and every woman to strive to achieve their goals. I think it especially important to encourage and empower the women around the globe who may not have the same opportunities as us, to keep on pushing for their own opportunities. For example, women in Saudi Arabia have only just been allowed to drive cars, I think that is worth celebrating - I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t do an emergency chocolate dash!”

What are the biggest challenges you have faced being a woman and how have you overcome them?

“I think I am lucky enough to have grown up in a generation and country that celebrates and encourages women and our achievements. I believe it is this kind of support and encouragement that has helped me overcome any challenges that I’ve faced.”

Who are your female icons?“Mmm well, definitely Christine Holgate, her road to becoming CEO of AusPost is truly inspiring. Meryl Streep (I love her), Dame Maggie Smith (icon) and controversially, Toyna Harding - I think she is an example of someone who fought time and time again for what she believed in, after continually being beaten down by those around her. There's so many more, but I'll go with those for now.”

End of interview.

I would like to thank Skye for sitting down with us (she was actually lying on the floor...), we hope you enjoyed the interview!